#INTERNET Ah, we're back! Like we said, we were just "chilling out" for like 3 years. Feels good to have the team back writing. Still us three: Chuck, Benjamin, and Virgil. Got new interviews coming up, and hopefully we'll be posting on a regular basis, who knows. We also interviewed each other, check: CHUCK, BENJAMIN, VIRGIL...

Had to do a quick post on this. 2 reasons why. One, I made a ‘snap’ post on the new Jetta when it first came out. While I’m not 100% into the design, the interior is fantastic even on the base models and the overall execution is great. Two, this new ‘Safe Happens’ commercial is great. I literally just saw it, jumped on my computer to make this post. Jetta is perfect at this whole ‘regular life’ commercial atheistic..honestly, its almost hard to describe, but they get it perfect in each commercial. I just loved the commercial. I wish I had a link to the video…couldn’t find it on their site or on youtube, so if you got a link to it hit us up. Just in case, the one I am referencing is the one where the two guys are driving and yakking about using the word ‘like’ too much….and then bam! That accident is wild how you see the airbags pop real quick…and the guys gets out like ‘holy…’ Simple thing, but I’m into it! That’s my post…time for dinner. ***New ink directly to the YouTube of the video…many thanks to Craig.

Cars, cars, cars…smog, fog, hog…the brilliance is a blog. What? Some fresh cars this year, as there is every year. Blah, blah… On problem with all the cars. The technology they use is ridiculously old. I’m going to get a little ‘weird’ and pop a few snaps about a situation that bothers both Chuck and I quite a bit. How is it, after all these years and the technology revolution…that cars still have pistons and use diesel or gas? Honeslty. Like…honestly! My cell phone can do everything a computer could do 4-5 years ago. But cars are, for the most part, the same. And oh snap, let me get all ‘MTV Rock The Vote’ on this…from articles I have read, we are spending $400 Billion to go to Mars??!?! You could buy everyone in the country a hybrid car for that much. Or at least distinctly change our direction as a country in terms of oil dependence and pollution. Our auto-makers here in the states suck, they lose money and create poverty when they close plants in small towns and out source over seas. Listen to me getting all mad here…ha. Honestly though…I’m not even trying to rely on our government to help us pursue a new direction for cars/transportation here in the states. It’s going to be a foreign company or some tiny ‘started-in-my-garage’ company that takes over the auto industry and helps us head in a new direction. But whatever, I’m uneducated on this stuff. So yeah…um, the NYC Auto Show. Check the slide show at the link below. That Saab Aero-X (bio-fuel) is still one of the more amazing cars out. So is the diesel E-Class. This post was weird; I can’t believe you read it.

My quick commentary on this. Google is killing them slowly. It’s so innocent how they do it, right? Just a simple search engine, then we’ll do this simple email thing with a bunch of storage, then we’ll do the best mapping/yellow-page type software you can imagine, then we’ll upgrade the email to work even better (AJAX), then we’ll launch a little calendar application…then the rumors about the ‘G Drive’ thing. So if they had all that and a simple word processing piece…what would the average computer user need Microsoft for? Honestly. Don’t come out with a whole new operating system…just grab the ‘low hanging fruit’ as they say. So yeah, this new calendar piece is pretty serious stuff. The ability to share your calendar is what makes it a killer. I know for a fact that we’ll see small companies start using this…and then they’ll grow, and still use it…that is what makes it so serious. Check the calendar thing…it’s simple and straight forward. But again, a very serious move by Google. Didn’t those dudes buy a 767 as their private jet? Amongst the other jets they already own?

I did like 3 post in one day last week. Where is all the ‘cool’ stuff to post about today? I don’t know. Somebody email us something cool to post about. No t-shirt companies, or art gallery shows or anything like that…something wild…like how you have fresh green grass growing all throughout your house instead of carpet or something. That would be nuts. Or just something really, really interesting. Maybe if you own/work for a private jet charter company or something you could email us and setup some free travel time to where ever we want and in exchange we’ll give you a ‘glowing’ review. Or maybe we could do something like a ‘Win a date with Benjamin from THE BRILLIANCE!’ Ha…how funny would that be? Or depressing if no girls entered…ha. Wow, this is a weird post. I’ll try and come up with something interesting to post in the next couple hours, or maybe not. Email us, hello@thebrilliance.com!

This should be good. The VS. Project - Triple 5 Soul VS The KDU. The opening reception is April 27th, 7PM-10PM, Triple 5 Soul Brooklyn (Full details at link below). I (NoPattern) will be there a few days early doing an art installation at the T5S store along with Nigel from ElectricHeat. Also will have a nice big feature from Kareem Black and featuer a slew of other incredible artists. Get there and come say hi to me! I don’t think Ben will be there though. Damn. Anyways, definitely come out for this if you’re in NYC on April 27th… I just wanna know, where da gold is.

So there’s been some talk on the internet about the new Radiohead…which I’m very excited to hear whenever it comes out…Greenplastic.com reported that “Thom Yorke has compared writing for Radiohead’s new album to that on ‘OK Computer’ - but has declared the lyrics will be even more terrifying!” That, to me, is good to hear. OK Computer stands as one of my favorite albums of all time, and I’m sure a lot of people will say the same. It’s certainly, without question, one of the most interesting bodies of work ever recorded by a band in the last few decades…the artwork, the lyrics, the sound, but most of all the mood that album gives off when you listen to it. Anyways, enough reviewing an album that came out years ago…Thom Yorke denied that the new material would have an overly political theme to it and said “It’s about that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, ‘I’m sure I’m supposed to be doing something else’.” Hard to put your finger on what he means exactly but that’s a good description of the feeling you get a bit when you listen to songs like ‘Paranoid Android’...this paranoid/frantic feeling almost. Check out the new issue of NME for the full interview with Yorke. Can’t wait. Also, check out Radiohead.com and the ‘Dead air space’ blog…interesting to read straight from the band and see photos from the studio…anyways… “Who all seen the leprechaun say yeah!”

Cell phones, cell phones, cell phones! So PayPal launches their Mobile service. And like a corny McDonalds commercial actor, I’m lovin’ it! Here is how it works… You send a text message to 729725 (PAYPAL) saying ‘send 100 to 6165551234’. In doing that you just sent $100 dollar form your account to whoever’s phone number is 616-555-1234 provided they have a mobile account. C-Lo games will never be the same, right?! The C-Lo and dice game stuff aside, this truly is a next level thing they have launched…the simplicity is what makes this key. Who is to say this couldn’t replace the use of credit cards? It works well in places where credit cards don’t work…where someone doesn’t have a merchant account. I don’t know, I’m thinking it will take a while to catch on, but it is certainly a cool leap forward for PayPal. ‘Clickity-clack!! You just rolled the triple pimples kid! Get that cell phone out and text me my money!!!’

Just had the buttered noodles and parmesan with grilled chicken. And a diet coke. I’m really into this spot. We didn’t have them around until about 4 months ago. Chuck put me onto a while ago. Either way, I throw it into the category that h&m and Ikea are in. A good well designed product accessible to the masses. Inclusive not exclusive. At the end of the day it’s a pretty simple spot, good classic food with a lot of Asian influence both in the menu as well as the actual décor of each spot. The stained bamboo tables, huge cylinder light things that hang from the ceiling, the whole space is put together very well…I’m into it. I’m also really into the service. They remember my name (I only go one/twice a week) and they have this effect of efficiency that is present in everything they do. I know it’s just a simple lunch light dinner spot, but there is something very different about their presentation…and as seen with other establishments, the clientele that is drawn is equally savvy and well put together. Funny how that happens naturally. Either way…very well branded place. And I love the little ‘community seating, come one, come all’ sign they put on the long tables at mine. That’s my post.

UMPC is ‘ultra mobile pc’ I think…right? Either way, it’s the whole really small, but fully operational computer movement/thing. I can honestly say I never saw the value in having something like this. I mean, yes, there are benefits to these…but I always looked at them as gadgets. That really started to change with me when I started thinking about more extending type traveling and all that encompasses. I like to only bring 1 bag when I go on vacation. One carry-on, that’s it. I did 10 days in Maui with one bag. When I look at my laptop, camera, treo ipod, etc…it’s like…man, I need another bag. I’m already starting to ramble on this one… The idea I’m into, is that with an ultra mobile pc, like the OQO pictured, I can have everything except the camera with me. It hasn’t been perfected yet…but I’m sure it will be soon (Apple) and it will change the way we travel and maybe even work. Just think of using this tiny device at a coffee shop half-way around the world to make a Skype call to a client regarding and email you just got from them…all while being able to pull up whatever application you use and interact with it. Not much different than a laptop, but you cant but a laptop in your pocket…or even your backpack really. That’s my nerd post…I need one of those OQOs, the keyboard is beautiful!

I don’t know exactly when this came out…but it’s wild. Real simple setup. 100 places you must see in your lifetime. A little ridiculous as must people don’t have near the budget or time to visit all these amazing locations…but if you did have the resources, this would really be an amazing guide. They even mentioned Seychelles! But yeah, check this out at your local book shop or mega book store…The magazine is $10.95 or you can grab the hard-cover edition at the link below. There are images that almost don’t look real…places that look straight out of movie sets. I can’t remember which one it was…but the where the kids, who appeared to be monks, are walking thru that jungle/temple area…wow. Amazingly beautiful.

THE BRILLIANCE is NOT affiliated with ANY of the companies/products/services/places reviewed in any way, shape, or form. All opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of ANY of the companies/products/services/places reviewed.